Ian Stuart Crook (born 18 January 1963) is an English
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
manager and former professional player.
As a player, he was a
midfielder
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
who began his career with
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...
. before making 418 appearances for
Norwich City
Norwich City Football Club is a professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was founded in 1902. Since 1935, Norwich have played their h ...
where he notably played in the
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
and
UEFA Cup
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star.
Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
. He finished his career with spells in Japan and Australia with
Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Sanfrecce Hiroshima () is a Japanese professional association football, football club based in Hiroshima. The club competes in the J1 League, top flight of the Japanese football league system. Sanfrecce is one of the most successful clubs in Ja ...
and
Northern Spirit. He won one cap in 1987 as an
England B international.
After his playing career Crook went into coaching, mostly in Australia, with
Newcastle Jets
Newcastle United Jets Football Club, commonly known as Newcastle Jets, is an Australian professional soccer club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier competition, the A-League, under licence from the Australi ...
and
NSWIS. He was serving as manager of
A-League
A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as the A-League by the ...
club
Sydney FC
Sydney Football Club, commonly known as Sydney FC, is a professional association football, soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. They compete in the top-tier men's league in Australia, the A-League Men. Established in 2004, ...
in 2012, before joining the
Western Sydney Wanderers
Western Sydney Wanderers Football Club (colloquially known as Western Sydney, Wanderers, or simply as WSW) is an Australian professional association football club based in the Western Sydney region of Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in t ...
football club as Assistant Manager. In 2004 he also had a spell as national team manager of
American Samoa
American Samoa is an Territories of the United States, unincorporated and unorganized territory of the United States located in the Polynesia region of the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean. Centered on , it is southeast of the island count ...
.
Club career
Crook began his football career at
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...
signing with the club as a schoolboy in 1976. He made his debut in 1980 against Liverpool and stayed with the North London club for another six years. He found it difficult to break into the first team, as the Tottenham midfield at the time contained Glenn Hoddle and Ossie Ardiles. He would, however, receive a
UEFA Cup
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star.
Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
Medal in 1984 as an unused substitute for the final, in which Tottenham beat
R.S.C. Anderlecht
Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht, commonly abbreviated to RSC Anderlecht (, , ) or RSCA (, , ), is a Belgian professional football club based in Anderlecht, Brussels Capital-Region. Anderlecht plays in the Belgian First Division A and is the mos ...
on penalties. He appeared in the semifinal against
Hajduk
A hajduk (, plural of ) is a type of Irregular military, irregular infantry found in Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and parts of Southeast Europe from the late 16th to mid 19th centuries, especially from Hajdú–Bihar Count ...
.
In 1986 Crook moved to Norwich City for a fee of £80,000, which would prove to be one of the best bargain buys for the club. He was at the hub of the most successful team in Norwich's history. During his eleven seasons at the club, he helped them to three top five finishes in England's
top
Top most commonly refers to:
* Top, a basic term of orientation, distinguished from bottom, front, back, and sides
* Spinning top, a ubiquitous traditional toy
* Top (clothing), clothing designed to be worn over the torso
* Mountain top, a moun ...
division and played in the club's
UEFA Cup
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star.
Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
run in the 1993–94 season, though he missed the match in which Norwich were eliminated from the competition – against Inter Milan in the San Siro – through suspension after collecting two yellow cards in the tournament. He was a midfielder noted for his passing ability and accuracy from set-pieces. Many experts in the game believe that had Crook played for a so-called bigger club, he would have played for the full England team. In a 2001 poll for Four Four Two magazine, Crook was voted as one of the best players never to have played for England, along with his former Norwich team-mate
Steve Bruce
Stephen Roger Bruce (born 31 December 1960) is an English professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player who was a centre-back in a twenty-year playing career. He is currently the head coa ...
.
He was still with Norwich when they were relegated from the Premier League in 1995, ending the nine-year run of top division football which had started in the year that Crook joined them.
He famously agreed to leave Norwich to join their fierce rivals
Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. The club currently competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football.
Ipswich Town were founded in 1878 but did not turn ...
at the end of the 1995–96 season, even posing for photos with his new shirt and buying his children replica kits before changing his mind and re-signing for City days later. This was due to former Norwich manager Mike Walker taking over the helm at Carrow Road following the sacking of
Gary Megson
Gary John Megson (born 2 May 1959) is an English former football player and manager.
He has previously managed Norwich City, Blackpool, Stockport County, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, Nottingham Forest, Leicester City, Bolton Wanderers and ...
and him persuading Crook to change his mind about the transfer. Crook had played under Walker for Norwich during his first spell as manager from 1992 to January 1994.
Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. The club currently competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football.
Ipswich Town were founded in 1878 but did not turn ...
took it to court, with the local newspaper Evening Star carrying the headline "Get out of Town Crook and take that man Walker with you".
In 1997, he was signed by
Eddie Thomson
Eddie Thomson (25 February 1947 – 21 February 2003) was a Scottish association football player and coach, who played as a defender. He played for Heart of Midlothian and Aberdeen in Scotland, San Antonio Thunder in the United States and ...
for
Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Sanfrecce Hiroshima () is a Japanese professional association football, football club based in Hiroshima. The club competes in the J1 League, top flight of the Japanese football league system. Sanfrecce is one of the most successful clubs in Ja ...
. He left the club in May 1998 and transferred to
Northern Spirit FC, where he stayed until retiring as a player in 2000.
In 2002, Norwich fans voted Crook into the
Norwich City F.C. Hall of Fame
The Norwich City F.C. Hall of Fame honours Norwich City F.C. players, coaches, managers, directors and executives who have "made the greatest contribution to the club in its long history both on and off the pitch." During the club's centenary s ...
. In September of the same year he played at Carrow Road in the club's centenary match against
Harwich & Parkeston F.C. Crook remained a favourite with Norwich City supporters, and in 2008 he was voted in the Greatest Ever Norwich City eleven.
Managerial career
After leaving Japan, Crook played for and coached
Northern Spirit FC in Australia before moving on to take his first managerial post at
Newcastle Jets
Newcastle United Jets Football Club, commonly known as Newcastle Jets, is an Australian professional soccer club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier competition, the A-League, under licence from the Australi ...
. In his first season in the 'Hunter region', he took the Jets from second bottom to second, earning him the NSL Coach of the year award. Following his successful time in Newcastle, Crook took on the job of coaching the
American Samoa national football team
The American Samoa men's national football team () represents American Samoa in men's international association football and is controlled by the Football Federation American Samoa, the governing body of the sport in the territory. American ...
, a team that had never scored a goal in a competitive international fixture. In early 2004 he was then appointed assistant coach for the Australian U20s team, before joining
Sydney F.C. the following November, under manager
Pierre Littbarski
Pierre Michael Littbarski (; born 16 April 1960) is a German professional football manager and former player of 1. FC Köln and the West Germany national team. Known for his dribbling abilities, he was mainly used as an attacking midfielder ...
, winning the A-League title and attending the World Club Championships in 2005. After the 04–05 season Littbarski left the club following a contract dispute, and Crook remained at the club for another six months.
During his work in Australia, he was often linked with a possible return to Norwich, notably in the
close-season of 2006, when
Martin Hunter was eventually appointed as coach in place of
Steve Foley. Following the departure of
Peter Grant from Norwich City in October 2007, Crook was again linked with the vacant manager's position.
In January 2007 Crook accepted the assistant manager's role at Japanese second division side
Avispa Fukuoka
is a Japanese professional football club based in Hakata, Fukuoka. They currently compete in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country.
History
Earlier years in Fujieda
The club were originally based in Fujieda, Shizu ...
to be reunited with Littbarski, but the pair were dismissed in July 2008. He was subsequently linked with new
A-League
A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as the A-League by the ...
club
North Queensland Fury FC, but instead was recruited for a second spell as manager at the
Newcastle Jets
Newcastle United Jets Football Club, commonly known as Newcastle Jets, is an Australian professional soccer club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier competition, the A-League, under licence from the Australi ...
.
On 21 January 2009 Crook was unveiled as first team coach for Norwich City alongside new manager and former teammate
Bryan Gunn. In June 2010 he returned to Australia, signing a two-year contract as Director of Coaching for
Sydney Olympic Football Club
Sydney Olympic Football Club is an Australian semi-professional soccer club, based in Belmore, Sydney, New South Wales, that plays in the National Premier Leagues NSW. The club was founded as Pan-Hellenic Soccer Club in 1957 by Greek immigrant ...
. Ian left Sydney Olympic in 2010 to take up the position of Head Coach at the New South Wales Institute of Sport.
He returned to
Sydney FC
Sydney Football Club, commonly known as Sydney FC, is a professional association football, soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. They compete in the top-tier men's league in Australia, the A-League Men. Established in 2004, ...
in 2011, the club he helped coach to their
inaugural Championship, this time working with former player
Steve Corica
Stephen Christopher Corica (; born 24 March 1973) is an Australian soccer manager and former player. In December 2023, Corica was announced as the inaugural manager of A-League expansion club Auckland FC.
A technically gifted and skillful att ...
and under former
Czech International Vitezslav Lavicka. Following the departure of
Vitezslav Lavicka at the end of the 2011/2012 season, Crook was appointed manager of
Sydney FC
Sydney Football Club, commonly known as Sydney FC, is a professional association football, soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. They compete in the top-tier men's league in Australia, the A-League Men. Established in 2004, ...
on 14 May 2012.
On only 11 November of the same year, Crook announced his immediate resignation as head coach of Sydney FC, following a 3–2 defeat to
archrivals,
Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Melbourne, Victoria. Competing in the country's premier men's competition, the A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL), Victory ...
. This was on the back of a humiliating 7–2 loss to the
Central Coast Mariners
Central Coast Mariners Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Gosford, on the Central Coast of New South Wales. It competes in the A-League Men, under licence from the Australian Professional Leagues (APL).
The Mar ...
the previous week. He was temporarily replaced by assistant coach
Steve Corica
Stephen Christopher Corica (; born 24 March 1973) is an Australian soccer manager and former player. In December 2023, Corica was announced as the inaugural manager of A-League expansion club Auckland FC.
A technically gifted and skillful att ...
in a caretaker role, and then permanently by
Frank Farina
Frank Farina Order of Australia, OAM (born 5 September 1964) is an Australian Association football, football (soccer) coach and former player who played as a Forward (association football), forward.
His playing career spanned Australia, Belg ...
on 28 November.
On 12 June 2014, Western Sydney Wanderers appointment Crook as assistant coach. Crook served as assistant during the club's successful
2014 AFC Champions League
The 2014 AFC Champions League was the 33rd edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 12th under the current AFC Champions League title. Guangzhou Evergrande were the d ...
campaign. On 25 February 2015, Crook took the helm of the team due to
Tony Popovic
Tony Popovic (born 4 July 1973) is an Australian association football manager and former player. He is currently head coach of the Australia men's national soccer team, Australia national football team. He guided the team to qualify for the 202 ...
serving his first of a two-game suspension. The away match against
Kashima Antlers
The are a professional association football, football club based in Kashima, Ibaraki, Japan. They currently play in the J1 League, the top tier of Japanese professional football leagues. The club has financial backing from Mercari, a Japanese ...
of Japan ended 1–3 in favour to Wanderers.
Personal life
Crook made a lasting impression at Norwich. Notably, he was elected to be a member of the
club's Hall of Fame.
Club statistics
Managerial statistics
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crook, Ian
1963 births
Living people
English men's footballers
England men's B international footballers
English expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in Japan
Premier League players
Footballers from the London Borough of Havering
People from Romford
J1 League players
National Soccer League (Australia) players
North West Sydney Spirit FC players
Norwich City F.C. players
Sanfrecce Hiroshima players
Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players
UEFA Europa League–winning players
English football managers
Newcastle Jets FC managers
English expatriate football managers
Expatriate soccer managers in Australia
A-League Men managers
Sydney FC managers
Staff of Newington College
Expatriate soccer managers in American Samoa
American Samoa national football team managers
Men's association football midfielders
English expatriate sportspeople in Australia
English expatriate sportspeople in American Samoa
English expatriate sportspeople in Japan